Soccer shoe with ball control surface



June 29, 1965 E. BRUTTING 3,191,321

SOCCER SHOE WITH BALL CONTROL SURFACE Filed April so, 1962 s Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG 7 IN VEN 70E:

Eugen Evfidiins ttornas June 29, 1965 E. BRUTTING 3,191,321

SOCCER SHOE WITH BALL CONTROL SURFACE Filed April 30. 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG- 8 IN VEN TORI Eugen .Bnltting Httornza June 29, 1965 E. BRUTTING SOCCER SHOE WITH BALL CONTROL summon Filed April 30. 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 9

FIG. 77

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Eugen Britt mg i Httomus United States Patent SOCCER SHOE WITH BALL CONTROL SURFACE Eugen Briitting, Henfenfelderstrasse 17, Schwaig, near Nurnberg, Germany I Filed Apr. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 191,112

Claims priority, application Germany, July 7, 1961, B 63,177; Dec. 22, 1961, B 65,310, B 65,311 7 Claims. (Cl. 362.5)

The present invention relates to a soccer shoe or boot which is provided on its external side with a rough surface in order to attain a better control of the ball than is possible when the shoe has asmooth outer surface. This rough surface may be formed, for example, by short projections which are preferably provided on the toe cap and on the inner and outer vamp portions of the upper.

Since in prior shoes of this type for soccer and and similar sports involving kicking-of a ball, the shape and construction, and especially the manner of securing the projections to the upper were rather unsatisfactory, it is an object of the present invention to improve these features. This is attained according to the invention by providing the upper, and/or caps secured thereon, with apertures, for example, in the form of perforation which are filled with a material which is compressible to a different degree than the material of the upper and the caps. The upper and the caps may, for example, consist of leather, while the material which fills the apertures may consist of a vulcanized material, for example, of natural or synthetic rubber, or of a plastic which can be shaped by an injection molding process, for example, polyethylene. The difference in the compressibility of the materials of the mentioned shoe parts has the effect that when the ball hits upon these parts or vice versa, the softer material will be more compressed than the harder material so that the small projections provide the particular degree of roughness on the upper which is required for a good control of the ball.

According to a specific feature of the invention, such projections on the outer side of the upper may, however, be preformed plugs and be inserted into apertures in the upper and caps so as to project from the outer surface of the latter.

In order to insure that these pluglike fillings of the apertures will be permanently secured to the shoe, the invention further provides that these plugs be combined with each other by means of a layer which is provided on the internal side of the upper and caps. (In the interest of clarity, the term interna side of the shoe will be used to refer to the actual interior side of the shoe, i.e., the side which is directed inwardly of the shoe toward the foot, whereas the term inner side will be used to refer to the external surface of the shoe which is directed toward the mating shoe.)

The grip of the outer side of the shank may according to the invention be further improved by roughening the projecting ends of the plugs.

These and further features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description thereof which also describes the method of producing a football shoe according to the invention and is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view of the front part of a soccer shoe according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 shows a longitudinal section of the shoe part according to FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 shows a partial cross section of the shoe part according to FIGURE 1 taken transversely to the longitudinal axis of the shoe.

FIGURE 4 shows a view similar to FIGURE 3 of a modification of the invention.

FIGURES 5 to 8 show enlarged cross sections of modifications of a shoe shank according to FIGURES 1 to 4 with plugs of different shapes. 1

FIGURE 9 shows a plan view of a flat sheet from which the front part of the upper is formed.

FIGURE 10 shows a cross section taken along line X-X 0f FIGURE 9; while FIGURE 11 shows the same cross section as in FIG- URE 10, but fora clearer illustration the two different parts are shown separately from each other, namely, the fiat sheet which is provided with the apertures and the plugs which are combined into a unit and subsequently fill out the apertures.

In the drawings, the toe cap 1 of the soccer shoe and the front of the vamp part of the upper 2 are provided with apertures 3 which, as illustrated particularly in FIGURES 2 to 4, are filled by small plugs 4 of a material which has a compressibility different from that of the leather of the upper 2 or the cap 1. Plugs 4 are integrally combined into a unit by a coating 5 which preferably consists of the same material as the plugs and is placed on the internal side of cap 1, as shown in FIGURE 2, or on the internal side of upper 2, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

While in the embodiments of the invention as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 the ends of the plugs 4 terminate substantially in alignment with the outer side of cap 1 and upper 2, these plugs 4 of the embodiments according to FIGURES 4 to 6 and 8 project from the outer surface of the cap 1 or upper 2 so as to form short projection 10 thereon. As shown in FIGURES 5, 6, and 8, the ends of these projections 10 may be tapered or rounded.

According to FIGURE 7, the plugs 4a, instead of being integrally combined with a common mass, are preformed, disconnected elements which are inserted individually into the apertures 3 of the upper.

The manner of securing the plugs 4 to the cap or shank may be further improved by tapering them as well as the apertures 3 toward the external surface, as shown in FIGURE 8, so that the plugs will be prevented from slipping out of the apertures and hence be locked more securely to the upper or cap.

FIGURES 2 to 4 show the outer sole 6, the insole 7, the tapered edge 7 of cap 1 and upper 2 which tapered edge is secured between the outer sole 6 and the insole 7, and the usual cleats 9 on the outer sole 6.

The method of producing the soccer shoe according to the FIGURES 2 to 6 and 8 in which the plugs 4 are integral with a mass 5 will hereafter be described with reference to FIGURES 9 to 11.

A sheet-like fiat blank 2 of a shape as required to form the front vamp part of the upper is first cut out of a suitable piece of material.

Before the blank is given its final configuration, the apertures 3 are filled with the plugs 4. This may be done in such a manner that the flat blank 2 is inserted into a vulcanizing or injection mold and that the material for filling the apertures 3 is introduced in a liquid condition. A layer 5 may thus be formed on the internal side of blank 2, which layer is integral with the projections constituting the plugs 4 which fill the apertures 3. Since the material of plugs 4 and layer 5 comes in contact with the material of blank 2 while the mass 4, 5, is in a hot liquid condition, this mass will, upon cooling combine intimately with blank 2.

The process of filling the apertures 3 may, however, also be carried out by first molding a sheet consisting of a layer 5 with the plugs 4 projecting therefrom, and by then pressing the plugs which are connected by the layer 5 into the apertures 3. Layer 5 which is subsequently located on the internal side of upper 2 may also be secured to the upper by means of an adhesive.

After the apertures 3 of the blank 2 are filled by the plugs 4 and the side of blank 2 which, in the end product, forms the internal side of the upper whereat the coating is located, blank 2 is further treated in the conventional manner by being sewed to the other parts of the shoe, by applying the upper upon a last, etc.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, particularly FIG- URES 1 and 9, the apertures are not distributed all over the shoe but are concentrated in at least one localized area, i.e.,. the general area encompassing the toe and the inner and outer front vamp portions, or a plurality of discrete areas within the mentioned general area. The reason for this is, of course, that this will be the only place where the player will normally kick the ball.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, I wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim 1s:

1. A soccer shoe having a toe portion and an upper which has inner and outer front vamp portions, said portions being provided with apertures which are filled with plugs which are made of a material having a compressibility ditferent from that of the material of which said portions are made, said plugs being part of a single entity which incorporates a layer that is adjacent to said portions and lies against the inner surfaces thereof, said plugs being integral with said layer.

2. A soccer shoe as defined in claim 1 wherein said plugs are made of a vulcanizable or moldable substance.

3. A soccer shoe as defined in claim 1 wherein said plugs extend outwardly beyond said portions to form projections thereon.

4. A soccer shoe as defined in claim 3 wherein said projections are rounded.

5. A soccer shoe as defined in claim 3 wherein said projections are tapered.

6. A soccer shoe as defined in claim 1 wherein said apertures and said plugs are tapered outwardly, thereby to prevent said plugs from slipping out of said apertures.

7. A soccer shoe as defined in claim 1 wherein said toe portion is constituted by a cap.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,726,198 8/29 Stahl 36106 1,890,433 12/32 Cohen 3677 X 1,982,725 12/34 Clarke et al. l2l46 2,467,388 m 4/49 Kamhorian 36106 2,661,547 12/53 Hyde et al. 36106 2,844,833 7/58 Odermatt 36-59 X FOREIGN PATENTS 825,095 11/37 France. 7 409,010 4/34 Great Britain. 43 9,574 12/ 3 5 Great Britain. 735,712 8/55 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD V. BENHAM, FRANK I. COHEN Examiners. 

1. A SOCCER SHOE HAVING A TOE PORTION AND AN UPPER WHICH HAS INNER AND OUTER FRONT VAMP PORTIONS, SAID PORTIONS BEING PROVIDED WITH APERTURES WHICH ARE FILLED WITH PLUGS WHICH ARE MADE OF A MATERIAL HAVING A COMPRESSIBILITY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE MATERIAL OF WHICH SAID PORTIONS ARE MADE, SAID PLUGS BEING PART OF A SINGLE ENTITY WHICH INCORPORATES A LAYER THAT IS ADJACENT TO SAID PORTIONS AND LIES AGAINST THE INNER SURFACES THEREOF, SAID PLUGS BEING INTEGRAL WITH SAID LAYER. 